Halo: Escalation #19

An unexpected ally joins a team of Spartans for a dangerous operationa secret mission into a hidden Forerunner world where the mysterious site known as the Absolute Record awaits! The thrilling sequel to Halo4s Spartan Ops continues from Duffy Boudreau (BlackAcre) and Ian Richardson (Noble Causes).

With Douglas Franchin off of Halo: Escalation again came the fear that we might just go back to okay art. For a licensed title like Halo: Escalation okay just is not enough. Especially when at issue #19. So when Ian Richardson's name came up it was a question then of what this guy can bring to the table, and he really did impress. He and Denis Freitas on inks did as the art for this issue was as clean and polished as it ever has been. There are places where perspective took away from the detail and proportions however. Though when things were in view Ian Richardson's efforts could be seen as like Franchin he pushed for that likeness that we should see from the Sangheili's physiology and the realism that we should get from the human elements of the story. It should also be mentioned how well they handle making the textures stand out be it armor, metals, clothing, skin, or structures. Read Full Review

Even as dialogue-driven and setup-focused as this issue is, it immediately ramps up the tension and paves the way for an exciting showdown. There's a cat-and-mouse quality to the conflict, wand I found myself rooting for both sides at different intervals. Unfortunately, as is too often the case with this book, the art isn't up to par with the writing. Read Full Review